Livingstone & Election 2012

The most interesting thing about this piece by Veronica's cat is his wanting to write it at all. Like most of the coverage of the FAP report in last week's Standard it suggests a rather too-eager desire to have yet another go at Livingstone. I don't know to what extent all this has been driven by an urge to take Londoners' minds off Mayor Johnson's early difficulties, but it's hard not to suspect it. And if Livingstone challenging in 2012 is such a joke, why get so worked up about it?

As it happens, I share Gilligan's analysis to the extent that Livingstone will have to redefine himself in several important ways before 2012 - perhaps before 2010, when Labour chooses its candidate - if he's to defend himself against some of the most damaging attacks he faced during the 2008 campaign. But I also share Livingstone's view that a six percent defeat was not a hammering. All else remaining the same a mere four percent swing away from Johnson - or whoever the Tory candidate is - towards him in 2012 would return Livingstone to City Hall. Whatever the wisdom of his activities since the election, that alone makes him a strong contender at this stage. My guess is that Mayor Johnson would agree.

Comments

[angela]

Standing for election for Mayor again is something Ken really wants to do. He has wanted to do it since he lost last May. When anybody wants something that much and feels that strongly, they have no alternative but to go for it, He must do that and find out one way or the other what the result will be. Ken feels it will work out in his favour and if he does not go for it and find out definitively, he would regret it for the rest of his life.